General DescriptionThe Emperor represents the structure-giving element, our desire for stability, security, and continuity. He shows our striving for independence from the conditionality of nature in all of its incalculability. He is the equivalent of our drive for civilization with which we build houses, heating and air conditioning systems to protect ourselves from heat, cold, and rain; cars and airplanes so that we can travel more comfortably and quickly than is possible on foot; and schools in order to secure a certain level of education. That too much of a good thing is sometimes done here should not stop us from appreciating properly the positive sides of this often distrustfully regarded card. The Emperor points out our sense of order, sobriety, discipline, responsibility, and pragmatic conduct, as well as the exaggeration thereof in the form of rigidity, lifelessness, perfectionism, a thirst for power, and an iron show of strength.